in all seriousness though, im so glad Crosby isn't going to play...they can't possibly talk about him then, can they? Awesome to see Lidstrom get some major props. Now he can complete the honors with a Norris and Stanley Cup

The other players in the league despise Crosby. The past few years someone does a poll of players asking various questions and Crosby always tops the most annoying, the biggest whiner, etc. No way he would've been picked as Captain even if he was healthy.

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Glad Lidstrom got props, but the ASG is lame. Hope he plays all of 5 minutes in the actual game and gets some rest so he can continue the great year he's having with the Wings.

The VladinatorHe earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995-96, with a plus/minus difference of plus-60. The +60 has been the highest rating a player has finished with in the past 20 seasons, since Wayne Gretzky finished with a +70 in the 1986-87 NHL season

Lidstrom getting to pick his team may have just grabbed my attention enough to watch this thing. I mean, the selections will be made on the 28th, so I'll for sure watch that. I'm leaning towards watching the skills competition too, but the actual All-Star game... enh.

I guess it really depends on how the teams get picked.

The most popular choice among the Red Wings as to who would volunteer to play goalie – several Panthers did in their game – was Brendan Smith.

"He's pretty competitive and he seems to be good at everything," Justin Abdelkader said. "He'd volunteer himself."

Babcock was a bit more hesitant about Smith. "Yeah, yeah, just work on getting out of your zone," Babcock said

Even if Crosby's participation wasn't in doubt, Lidstrom and Crosby would have been picked. I presume the NHL's thinking is one captain from each conference.

Again, I have to point out that the players picked the captains I think, which means Crosby would not have gotten the captaincy even if he was able to play.

I'm still not excited to watch the game. Lidstrom may pick the team but what does it matter? The game will end up being a close one anyways as they all try to play fair. He doesn't even have to put any thought into who he picks.

And as for the Skills Competition, that can be fun to watch, thank God we're in the age of the internet and I don't have to sit through it all and watch it on TV. Youtube here I come for very short snippets of the important stuff.

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Again, I have to point out that the players picked the captains I think, which means Crosby would not have gotten the captaincy even if he was able to play.

I'm still not excited to watch the game. Lidstrom may pick the team but what does it matter? The game will end up being a close one anyways as they all try to play fair. He doesn't even have to put any thought into who he picks.

And as for the Skills Competition, that can be fun to watch, thank God we're in the age of the internet and I don't have to sit through it all and watch it on TV. Youtube here I come for very short snippets of the important stuff.

Crosby was on the ballot but was not picked regardless.

It is said the players expressed concern about Crosby's health while voting. No word on what else they decided on, but I really don't care.